1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tempo setting apparatus and, more particularly, to a tempo setting apparatus suitably used in an electronic keyboard having auto-play functions such as a rhythm play function, a chord play function, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electronic keyboard (e.g., an electronic piano) has auto-accompaniment functions such as a rhythm auto-accompaniment function, and a chord auto-accompaniment function, where auto-accompaniment tones for one to four bars are repetitively played on the basis of auto-play data for rhythm tones, chord tones, and the like stored in, e.g., a ROM.
In an electronic keyboard, or the like, an auto-play tempo for chord tones can be desirably set (incremented/decremented) by a tempo setting button on an operation panel.
Auto-play data includes standard preset tempo data in units of rhythms. When a preset tempo button on the operation panel is depressed during an auto-play operation, the auto-play operation is performed in a standard preset tempo corresponding to the selected rhythm.
When a player sets a preset tempo corresponding to a rhythm while an auto-play operation of rhythm tones or chord tones is performed in a free tempo set by the player, the tempo of the music piece being auto-played abruptly changes in the middle of a bar, and the player feels uneasy in terms of the progress of the music piece.
When the tempo is changed using the tempo setting button during an auto-play operation, the tempo abruptly changes in the middle of a bar in the same manner as described above, resulting in uneasy feeling.
Therefore, when the tempo is changed during a play operation, an auto-play operation must be temporarily stopped, the tempo is changed, and thereafter, the auto-play operation is restarted, thus requiring cumbersome operations.